Huddersfield sub-contract firm targets aerospace sector with latest acquisition

A Huddersfield manufacturer has made various large investments, including the acquisition of the latest CNC machine technology.

Thomas Brown Engineering, which celebrated its 35th birthday in 2018, has worked with the Engineering Technology Group (ETG) to install a new Hardinge Bridgeport XR1000 to help it capitalise on three recent contract wins for the aerospace sector.

The company will use the power provided by the GTW spindle to machine the toughest materials, whilst the Heidenhain TNC 640 control and Nikken fourth axis rotary table delivers increased accuracy, flexibility and repeatability.

It marks the latest stage in the company’s expansion, which has seen its turnover increase and new jobs created to boost its workforce to 20 people.

Tom Brown, who founded the business in 1983 after serving an apprenticeship, said: “We have always been big fans of Hardinge Bridgeport and the excellent performance the machines deliver, so it was no surprise when we updated our capabilities with the new XR1000.

“Aerospace is a growing market for us following our AS9100 accreditation and this helped us secure three important contracts, which required more capacity and shorter lead times.”

He continued: “We spoke to ETG about our requirements and came up with the XR1000, specifying it with a Nikken 4 th axis rotary table to give us the opportunity to produce more complex components.

“It is a decision that is already paying off, with some cycle times reduced by as much as 20 per cent. This makes a major difference to our productivity.”

Engineering Technology Group (ETG) delivers turnkey solutions to customers involved in automotive, aerospace, domestic goods, high value engineering, medical and oil and gas.

Its portfolio of world class brand includes Bavius, Chiron, Nakamura, Quaser and STAMA.

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